What are the cues that enemies are going to attack you in Plus Mode

batman-arkham-city

I got tempted to attempt 100% completion on Arkham City, and, wow, not having the little squiggly lines coming off enemies when they're about to attack makes the game really, really hard. I'm up to the point of the Penguin mini-boss fight, and there's just no way for me to get through it. I can't even survive half-way through the first round.

Now, I realize that trends in gaming are such that harder and more-clever is all the rage, but this is just what I feared when I started this playthrough: hitting a point that's so hard that it simply stops me from playing the game any more. I'm trusting this isn't what the designers intended, and assuming that I'm just missing something about the mechanics of the game.

Is there some way to offset not having those indicators? Are there little cues that can tell me that someone's about to take a swing that I'm missing? I can tell sometimes by the way they "step up", but in a big crowd of people, it's easy to miss one doing this. Plus, the people wielding a weapon typically don't do this.

I can't seem to find ANY video of this fight on YouTube, which makes me wonder if it's even humanly possible to finish (without cheating).

Best Answer

There aren't any as nice as the attack indicators you get during easy/normal play through. You have to watch and learn the indicators/movements that someone is about to punch, kick, or otherwise attack you. They do things like:

  • Pull there arm back before throwing a punch or slicing with a knife.
  • Take an attack stance.
  • Start to lift there leg for a kick.

It is definitely more challenging and requires more attention and detailed pattern matching. It takes awhile, but you'll slowly start to get better.

Here are some of my strategies:

  • Attack isolated inmates first, or small groups of isolated inmates. Use Evade to quickly move around the group, moving away from any cramped quarters. Don't let yourself get surrounded. There are too many inmates to watch and keep track of.
  • The Batwing Swarm is also a good move to use frequently. It stuns and isolates inmates, giving you time and space to attack.
  • Finally, Batman can't be attacked during the Takedown move, and enemies don't get back up after receiving it, so use it every chance you get.

Good luck!